Look After Yourself - Raising a Child with a Disability

I was folding Oscar’s wheelchair down and lifting it into the car.

That is when I heard the shout.

It was one of the teaching assistants from Oscar’s school.

‘I know,’ I said, ‘but it is the only way I can get it into the car.’

Oscar’s wheelchair is like a big pram but it is not a pram, it is a wheelchair (as one of the other bloggers wrote about).

It is also very, very heavy.

I don’t actually know how heavy exactly but it is heavy.

I find when I am trying to put the wheelchair into the boot of the car I am twisting myself as well as leaning back to try and lift it better.

I know eventually, I may end up hurting myself.

My legs are already covered in bruises from just putting the chair up and down!

The fact that I am not very tall and have no muscles whatsoever does not really help my cause.

Her words made me realise though how much I do not think about my poor back (because it does ache) when I am lifting.

When I am lifting Oscar into the car to put him in his car seat, I am so busy trying to make sure he is not twisting, that I don’t bang his head on the roof of the car (because, I have done that a few times, bad mummy) and that I do not hurt him and he is comfortable.

I am not paying any attention to the fact that I am bent over, twisted, while half of me is in the car and the other half isn’t, if that makes any sense!

The same goes though for whenever I am lifting and carrying Oscar.

I am so busy making sure he is alright that I am not making sure that I am alright as well.

I am sure I am not alone with this.

But, if I hurt my back, then who will look after Oscar?

Hubby works full-time to keep a roof over our heads and I am Oscar’s main carer.

We cannot afford for me to have a bad back and be laid up in bed.

I need to start caring a little more for my poor back and thinking more about myself when lifting and carrying Oscar and his equipment.

Or lifting and carrying anything for that matter.

Please take some time to think about your own situation and how it affects you physically and see if there are any changes you can make.

Even speak to your child’s physio to see if they have any suggestions for you.

Who will look after our children, if we do not look after ourselves?

Mind your backs everyone!